New Life
by oswaldspink
Summary: After the death of her mother Clara moves away for a new start. Reluctant towards the change, she never could have imagined who she'd meet...
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, so here's a new story for you. I really hope you enjoy, I will hopefully be uploading many more chapters as I have plenty of ideas! Feel free to leave a review! :)**

New Girl

New home, new school, new life. That's what her dad had told her. A fresh start for them both. Part of her wanted that, move away to where no one knew what had happened. She was sick of the sympathetic stares, despite people meaning well. However, another part of her didn't want to leave. There were so many memories of her mum and her childhood that couldn't be replaced. Moving away was meant to allow them space to breathe and time to move on as much as they could. But to Clara, that seemed stupid. Why would she want to move away from the best person she'd ever known? Her best friend, her mother.

Her dad had announced they were moving completely out of the blue. Clara was eating her dinner and had almost choked on a chip.

"What?! Why?!" Dave took a deep breath.

"It's for the best. We can't stay here. There's too much of... too much of her here." Then the argument started.

"But she's gone! Why would you want to move even further from her?! All that she loved was here!"

"Clara, that's not what I meant. Of course I don't want to leave all of this behind. I just think it'll be better for us both if we start afresh. We can be happier, mum would have wanted that." Clara paused for a second. She knew he was right, the last thing mum would have wanted was them to be sad. They had to live life to the fullest, that's what she always said. But she hated the idea of moving so much. She hated change and this was going to bring nothing but.

"Where are we moving to?"

"Yorkshire. Far away from here." Clara's jaw dropped.

"Yorkshire?! That's miles away! What about my school and my friends!" Dave sighed.

"Please Clara. This is for the best." She shook her head and stormed out of the room.

They didn't speak for five days after that. Deep down Clara knew that she had been unfair with her reaction but she couldn't shake the anger she felt. She headed for her Gran's house after school one day, she needed a voice of reason.

"Hi sweetheart, good day?" Clara nodded half heartedly making Gran sigh. "Still not sorted things with dad then?" She shook her head.

"No. I don't know what to do."

"Come and sit here next to me." Clara smiled and did so. "I'm guessing you don't want to move?" Clara shook her head.

"I can't think of anything worse." Gran laughed a little.

"I've got some persuading to do then." Clara looked up at her.

"Right I see what this is. Dad has told you to do this hasn't he." She sighed.

"No, I've not spoken to him. I promise. I think you should move away." Clara looked at her with confusion.

"What? Why would you want us to move? You won't be able to see us every week, we'd be so far away." She nodded.

"Yes, that's true. That's what made me hesitate. But then I thought about what's best for you. You need to move on, and by move on I don't mean forget. You need to move to start again, that's what your mum wanted. She wants you to have the best life you can, and you can't have that here. There's too many memories, sad memories." Clara thought for a second.

"But what about the good memories?"

"They aren't lost just because you move away. They'll always be here and they'll always be with you. In here." She pointed to their hearts. Clara started to well up.

"I don't want to leave you Gran. I've lost mum already, I don't want to lose you as well." Gran pulled her into a hug and sighed.

"Clara honey, I'm not going anywhere. I'll come and visit as much as I can. And you can come and stay with me. It's only a couple of hours on a train. It'll all work out." She nodded and wiped her eyes.

"I should make things up with dad shouldn't I."

"Yes, he's so worried about you. He loves you very much and is only doing this due to that reason. He'd never move if he thought it was the wrong thing to do. You know that." She nodded again.

Most of dinner that night was silent as it had been for the last week. Dave got up to clear their plates away when Clara stopped him.

"Dad. Wait. Can we talk? I don't want to be like this for any longer." He smiled a little and nodded.

"Of course. I'm so sorry to have upset you." Clara shook her head.

"No, I overreacted. I was unfair. But I've been thinking, lets move. It's going to be hard but it'll be best for both of us." Dave looked up suddenly.

"Are you sure? What changed your mind?"

"I'm sure, and I spoke to Gran. She made me see sense." Dave smiled a little.

"I thought you might. There's a house that I've viewed up there, I think you'll love it. I can take you to see it this weekend? We can look at the school too?" Clara hesitated but nodded. "I know this is a massive step, but I honestly think you'll like it."

"Okay, sounds great."

They viewed the house and the area. Despite Clara's initial concern, she fell in love with it. It was a massive change from city life but there was something nice about it and a month later, they were ready to leave. Clara said goodbye to all of her friends, she was upset but they'd promised to all keep in touch. As much as she loved education, she felt nothing as she left the school. She'd hardly been there for the past months anyway what with the situation. Saying goodbye to her Gran was the hardest thing.

"Come and visit soon yes?" Gran nodded.

"Of course! I've got to see your new house!"

"And don't forget to keep going to your physio and to go to your swimming class. I don't want you to get lonely."

"Clara I'll be fine! You can call me everyday to check if you like, stop worrying. I love you more than anything and I'll see you soon." They hugged tightly and then packed up the car. They said their final goodbyes and got on the road.

Moving into the new house took longer than either of them expected. It seemed so much harder to unpack than it was to pack up originally. Clara had bagged the best room in the house, it had loft window right above the bed and a great view of the hills just outside of the village. She'd beaten her dad to it easily. She brought her boxes up and began to sort through things.

A while later she headed to find her dad, she'd not heard him in a while. She found him sat in the living room staring at a book that was placed carefully on his lap. She walked over and sat down next to him. He looked up quickly as she did so as though it had scared him.

"Sorry." He shook his head and shut the book quickly.

"It's okay. All alright?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm nearly unpacked now. What's that book?" He moved it off of his lap and shook his head.

"Oh nothing." She frowned.

"What's in it though?" He sighed and, before he could speak again, she picked it up and looked inside. She paused once she realised.

"Don't look at it Clara." She shook her head and sat back down with it.

"Pictures of mum. How come I've never seen these before?"

"They were up in the loft, must have been up there for years. I was going to show you but we've been doing so well I-" She shook her head.

"If we're going to move on properly we need to be able to talk about this. They're happy photos anyway." He nodded and allowed her to keep looking. "Where was this?" She said as saw a picture of her parents on holiday what must have been a good 20 years ago.

"Cyprus. That was our honeymoon. Your mum had always wanted to go to Cyprus, I surprised her with the tickets on our wedding night." He smiled in reminiscence.

"It looks lovely." Dave nodded.

"It was. Best few weeks of my life. Apart from our holiday to Disney, that was even better." Clara smiled.

"That was a good week. Remember when mum nearly tripped over and knocked over Mickey Mouse?" They both laughed.

"Oh yeah! She was so embarrassed." They continued to laugh for a while and then Clara closed the photo album.

"I meant what I said earlier, we need to talk about her openly if we're going to be able to move on. And not just about her, about how we feel. I know you're worried about me and don't want to upset me but you can talk to me. You don't have to hide things. Chances are, we're thinking and feeling the same." Dave smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"My brave girl. She'd be so proud, as am I."

A week later, her first day of school rolled around. She was excited but there were so many thoughts running around her head. Not only was she starting a new school, but she'd hardly been to school in the last three months anyway. It all felt new, too new. Her dad had done everything possible to reassure her but she really just needed to go and get the first day over with.

She got dressed slowly, it had taken her ages the previous day to choose her outfit and even now she was doubting her judgement. She did her hair and makeup and then stood in front of the mirror.

"Right. Let's go." She said to herself. She grabbed her bag and headed downstairs. Her dad was waiting for her.

"Morning, you look lovely." Clara smiled.

"Thank you dad. Aren't you meant to be going to work?" He nodded.

"I'm about to leave now, I was going to ask you if you wanted a lift? It's on the way." She thought for a second and then shook her head.

"No, I'm okay thank you. I think I need the walk." He nodded and watched her grab a slice of toast as she put her shoes on.

"Last minute as always, even on your first day." Clara laughed a little.

"That's me." He hugged her tightly and smiled.

"I hope everything goes well today. I really do. I'm so proud of you." She smiled back at him.

"Thank you. I'll see you later." She headed out of the door and down the road.

She got half way and realised that it was actually further than she thought for. She was in no worry of being late, she'd left enough time. But it felt like miles. Part of her didn't mind as it was a lovely walk and it was just what she needed to wake herself up for the day. However, it was rather cold. She turned the corner soon and saw a boy who looked her age walking out of the street next to her. Is he in my year? She asked herself. He smiled at her and continued to walk. He looked friendly, that settled Clara a little. The first person she'd seen seemed nice so surely the rest would be nice too?

She got into her form room and sat down nervously. It was mid term so no one was expecting a newbie. She was getting looks from everyone, not rude, just intrigued. Next to her was a girl who smiled at her immediately. Everyone was chatting until a teacher walked in the room, presumably the form tutor. All became silent apart from a murmur from the girl next to Clara.

"Here's the dragon." Everyone giggled quietly.

"What are you all laughing at? Have I said something funny?" The teacher directed the comment at who had spoken.

"No miss. Nothing at all."

"I thought so, now get on with your revision." They all sighed. It made Clara smile. It was nice to see that it wasn't just her old school that could have a laugh about their teachers. A bit of familiarity, it felt good.

In English she sat on a table with another girl. She seemed lovely.

"First day?" Clara nodded.

"Yeah, I'm Clara." The girl smiled.

"I'm Esme. Judging from your accent, you're not from around here right?" Clara shook her head.

"No, I moved up from London. It's surprisingly quieter up here." Esme laughed.

"Colder too. How come you moved?" Clara paused for a second. There it was. The one question she hadn't worked out how to answer yet.

"I- Me and my dad just fancied a change really. We needed a fresh start." Esme nodded.

"Fair enough. Well I'll make sure you're looked after here."

"Thank you. I'm sure I'll settle in quickly." The lesson went well, she loved the book they were studying and the teacher was great too.

At lunch time her and Esme headed out to the canteen. She was introduced to three of Esme's other friends. They immediately got chatting and, in no time at all, Clara felt like she belonged there. Something that she hadn't felt for a while, and didn't expect to feel again so easily. Whilst they were eating, a group of boys walked past. One of them wolf whistled towards their table and they all started to laugh. Esme rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, meet the guys everyone wishes would piss off." Clara laughed a little.

"Who are they? Are they in our year?" The girls nodded.

"Yeah, there's Jake, Sam, Ben, Chris and Harry." Charlotte said. "Word of advice, don't speak to them."

"Class clowns, dickheads really." Clara laughed again.

"I will take your advice then." As she said it, another boy came running in. She recognised him from somewhere. When he turned round slightly she remembered, he was the one who smiled at her on the way to school.

"Oh and that one is Danny. He's nice actually. Not sure why he's in that group, he could do so much better." Esme said. Clara thought for a second. She felt strangely compelled to him. They'd not even spoken yet she felt like she needed to get to know him better. He glanced over to their table but looked back again when he noticed Clara staring. He smiled awkwardly making her blush and look away quickly. They all laughed at her.

"First day and Clara's got a crushhhh?" Clara shook her head and laughed.

"No no!" Esme grinned.

"You should totally talk to him. He's sweet." Clara smiled.

Surprise surprise, she bumped into him again on the way home. It was quite near school too so they had a while to walk together. Clara just hoped she could keep the conversation going.

"Hey, so what's your name?"

"Clara, Clara Oswald." He nodded.

"I'm Danny, Danny Pink." She looked up and laughed as she shook her head.

"We've both got good names for teasing then." He laughed back and nodded.

"Seems like it, mines worse though." She nodded and then winked at him.

"Oi!" She giggled. "So where are you from? You sound extremely southern." She smiled.

"I am extremely southern. Well, in comparison to here anyway. I'm from London."

"No way, I've always wanted to live in London. It's too quiet here."

"Weirdly, I like it. It's peaceful, definitely a change from London anyway." He nodded.

"Yep, sheep, the smell of manure and no phone service for miles. Just what we all want." She laughed and sighed.

"So pessimistic. Look at the view." She pointed at the hills to the side of them. "And there's plenty of places to explore."

"Okay fair enough. But I think I've almost explored it all now, I had many evenings after school to get lost."

"What's the best place you've found then?" He thought for a second but then stopped her from walking and pointed across the field.

"See that hill over there?" She nodded. "If you walk right up to it there's a cave at its foot. Not a tourist place or anything, just a natural beauty. I did all of my GCSE revision in there." She looked at him.

"What?! That's amazing. I hope you got As for that." He laughed.

"I did actually, it was the only place I could properly focus. My house is noisy." She smiled as they continued to walk.

"Brothers and sisters?" He nodded.

"Yeah, twin baby brothers. I love them to pieces but I've not slept properly since they arrived. And my grandad lives with us too. So it's a full house." She smiled again. "What about you?"

"Oh it's just me and my dad. My gran is back in London." He nodded.

"Polar opposites then eh? How come you moved anyway? One hell of a change." Now she hesitated for the first time in their conversation. Everything inside her told her to cover it up, lie about it. But the words just slid out, she surprised herself.

"My mum died... Cancer. Four months ago. We moved for a fresh start." He looked at her with shock, not sure how to react. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I told you that. I've not told anyone up here yet." He smiled a little.

"No no it's okay. I'm so sorry. That must have been so hard." She nodded.

"It was awful, still is." She felt herself get upset so shook away the tears that had formed and attempted to change the subject. "Sorry, how old are your brothers then?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" She nodded.

"Yeah, it's just still fresh in my memory." He accepted that and moved on, not wanting to intrude.

"My brothers are 5 months old, identical too. I honestly can't tell them apart." He pulled out his phone and showed her a picture.

"Oh my god they're adorable. I'd love a younger sibling." He laughed.

"You wait until they scream and cry all night. One wakes up and then the other. Nightmare." She smiled and then slowed as they got to Danny's street where she'd seen him appear from that morning. "Can I give you my number? Nothing weird, no pressure. Just to talk if you need. What is said between us stays between us?" She nodded and smiled. He handed her his phone so she could add her number and then smiled again.

"Thank you Danny." He nodded.

"No problem. Have a nice evening. I'll see you bright and early in the morning." He groaned a little making her laugh. They waved each other off and then headed their separate ways.

She got home and felt immensely happy. Her heart felt full. He was so lovely, so kind. She felt comfortable with him too, something that she didn't expect at all. Part of her wondered why he was being so nice, but that didn't stop her from feeling happy about it all. She laid on her bed and sighed. She'd settled in better than she could ever have imagined.

The next three weeks flew by. Things were becoming easier, she knew her way around and was getting used to how the school ran. She'd made good friends with Esme and the other girls too. Everything was running smoothly until she reached English. She was working happily when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She looked at it under the table to see a message from her dad. Her eyes widened as she read it.

' _Hi sweetheart, can you give me a call when you've got time? The hospital want us to go back to discuss some things about mum. Need to run it past you x'_

Her heart began to beat faster. What could they want to know now? Why couldn't they just leave it and let them move on? She felt herself begin to panic. Esme clearly noticed.

"Clara? Are you alright?" She looked up and shook her head, her breathing becoming erratic.

"I need to... I need to get out." Panic took over and she ran out of the classroom. Everyone looked to the door with confusion. Whilst the teacher settled everyone down, knowing she couldn't leave the class to help, Danny managed to sneak out. He ran after her down the corridor.

"Clara! Clara wait!" She kept running. She didn't stop until they reached the field outside. She stopped running and fell to her knees. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She punched the floor in anger as she tried to settle her breathing. Danny stayed back, not wanting to crowd her. "Clara? You're okay, it's only me here." She sat down and sighed.

"Go, please. You don't need to see this." She shook his head and moved a little closer.

"I'm not going anywhere, not whilst you're like this." She shook her head.

"Danny, just go! This isn't your problem, it doesn't need to be." He hesitated but then sat beside her.

"It's my problem too if I want to help. I'm not leaving you." She looked up at him. She just wanted to curl into his arms and sob. Why did she feel like this? They'd known each other for less than a month and he'd already seen her at her lowest.

"Why? Why do you want to help? You barely know me."

"Because I like you Clara. I really like you. And anyway, I could never leave someone in this state. It's not fair." She attempted to stop the tears that were flowing down her cheeks but he shook his head. "Don't worry about that." He moved to give her a hug. She hesitated but soon relaxed in his arms. "What happened?" She pulled her phone from her pocket and showed him the text, not wanting to have to explain it. He immediately sighed. "You should call your dad. It might not be as bad as you think." She shook her head.

"I can't, not whilst I'm like this. He'll only start to worry about me." She continued to cry. As he held her close to him the teacher came running out of the doors towards them. Danny signalled for her to wait a minute whilst he calmed her down.

Eventually, she managed to stop crying and move back inside. Danny was made to go back to lesson but Clara was kept in her head of year's office. As much as she understood they just wanted to help, she really didn't want to have to explain herself. All she wanted was Danny, she really wanted Danny.

He met her after school that day, as he had done for the last three weeks.

"You look tired." She smiled a little.

"I am. Bad day." He nodded sympathetically.

"How are you feeling now?" She shrugged and looked down the street ahead of them as she spoke.

"I'm not sure. Angry I think."

"Why?"

"Because I made a show of myself. And I overreacted." He shook his head and took her hand.

"No. No you didn't. People are fine with what happened, they're concerned more than anything else." She sighed.

"But-"

"Clara trust me, don't apologise for this." She stopped and turned to face him.

"Are you sure you want to be part of this?" He frowned.

"What? Of course I do." She shook her head.

"You're too nice to me." He smiled.

"No, I just want to help. You owe nothing to me for that." They looked at each other for a second. He leaned in gently and kissed her softly. She kissed him back and then giggled as they pulled away.

"I'm so glad I moved up here." He smiled.

"Good, I hope you're here to stay." They grabbed each other's hands and continued to walk down the street.

 **Hope you enjoyed! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter!**

From bad to good

Clara felt more than under the weather when she woke up the next morning. She just felt so stupid. She's had panic attacks at her old school and back at home, but she had desperately tried to control them since she'd moved. She just didn't want anyone to know, she wanted to be as normal as possible, so that she could fit in. She couldn't help but think everyone was judging her now. The day had gone so wrong.

She headed to school as normal but was met by her English teacher when she arrived. A meeting to explain what happened. Just what she needed.

"Good morning." Clara smiled awkwardly.

"Morning miss." She smiled back.

"I'm guessing you know what this is going to be about. What happened in yesterday's lesson? I've spoken to the head and know the surface of the situation, so don't worry about explaining it all." She nodded.

"Um, I..." The teacher stopped her.

"I understand that it hasn't been easy." Clara couldn't help but scoff a little, she'd heard that too many times over the last year. "If you don't feel comfortable telling me now then that's fine, anything you need, just let me know." She nodded. They talked for a while longer before Clara left to carry on her day. She knew she was just trying to help but the less people that knew, the better. She wanted a fresh start, not a repeat of her old school.

She met Danny at break.

"Hi." He frowned.

"You look terrible." She laughed.

"Thank you, reeling in the compliments today." He sighed and shook his head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, have you slept?" She shrugged.

"A little, dad was worried about going back to London so we talked most of last night." Danny nodded.

"And what about Miss James this morning? What did she say?"

"She just asked me what happened. I don't want to tell her, I don't want anyone to know." He took her hand.

"You know that it's nothing to be ashamed of right?" She sighed.

"I just don't want people here to look at me like people at my old school did. That's why I moved. To have some objectivity in my life, rather than people assuming how I feel and judging what I do." He nodded, understanding what she meant.

"Well in that case, you're not inclined to tell anyone. It's your choice. And I'll support that." She smiled.

"Thank you Danny."

"No problem. When are you going back then?" She sighed and they sat down on the bench next to them.

"Saturday. Then we'll come back for school on Monday. I don't want to go. I mean it'll be good to see Gran but what can the hospital want to know? They've got all of the information. They don't need anything else."

"Maybe it's just routine stuff, like making sure you're both coping. You know they like to do check ups." She shook her head.

"But they wouldn't do that. They know we've moved, they know that dad and I are okay together. It's got to be something bad."

"Don't think like that, it'll drive you crazy. It will be fine. And if not, call me, I'll be here to talk. Then, before you know it you'll be back home again." She smiled and took his hand.

"I'll ring you straight away. I feel like I'll need someone to tell." He nodded.

"And I'll be here to answer it. Now come on, we need to get to maths."

Saturday morning arrived and both of them were quiet. There was a feeling of dread in the room, negative anticipation. Clara chucked her rucksack on the back seat and then got herself into the car. Her dad soon followed.

"Ready?" She nodded.

"Ready." The journey felt like days. It was a four hour drive at the best of times but today dragged even more than usual. Clara couldn't help but smile a bit when she started to recognise the roads they were on. The roads that they had been on so many times. If nothing at all positive came out of this, at least she'd seen her Gran. That made everything better.

Gran welcomed them with open arms.

"Oh Clara! Come here to me!" They hugged each other tightly. "And Dave! You both look well!" They smiled and brought their bags inside. It didn't take long for Gran to start her reel of questions. Clara didn't mind though, it was nice to see that she was so interested.

"So how is the new house?"

"It's really nice, it's nearly all decorated now so it's starting to feel like home."

"You need to come and visit soon Gran." Clara said.

"I do. And I will do! How about school Clara? Have you made some new friends?"

"Yeah, I've got a nice group which is good. I love all of my lessons too." Gran smiled.

"My clever girl." She kissed her on the bead making Clara smile. They spent the next couple of hours catching up and chatting. In reality, it hadn't been that long since they had seen each other but it had felt like years. Weirdly though, it had been a good few months, Clara had enjoyed herself since they'd moved. It didn't follow the pattern. Enjoying yourself was meant to make time go faster, not slower. Everything had been out of sync since mum died. It hadn't had chance to go back to normal again.

They headed to the hospital that afternoon. The waiting room brought back so many memories, bad ones. The night they rushed mum to hospital. Waiting for the doctors to confirm she had... She shook her head. Stop. Stay positive, she had Danny's voice in her head. She felt her dad's hand reach for hers. They smiled at each other.

"It'll be fine." She smiled and nodded.

"It will." Not long later they were called in. They shook hands with the doctor, they knew him well. He'd been the lead one involved with mum, they all got on well with him.

"How are you all?" They smiled a little and nodded.

"Okay thank you. Clara and I have just moved up north. Fresh start and all." The doctor nodded, although he squirmed a little in his chair. Clara noticed it. Did that mean he had some bad news to tell?

"That's brilliant. A great next step. I'm sorry to have to bring you back here today." They all smiled a little, none of them had much to say to that.

"So why have you called us here today?" Gran asked.

"As you know, Ellie's cancer was aggressive, to the point that she resisted every treatment we gave her." They all nodded. "Well I have been speaking to my colleagues across the UK and she is a rare case. In terms of research to help other patients in the future, she would be very valuable." Dave shook his head.

"You want to experiment on her?" The doctor shook his head.

"No, just her cells. There would be no damage to her body at all." Dave stood up.

"I don't like this." Clara put a hand on his arm to calm him.

"Dad, sit back down." He shook his head.

"Mr Oswald, you are in every right to decline this. Everything is on your terms. But her cells, they could save lives. We can research to make a new cure, one that's stronger and better." That was the last straw.

"My wife is not a case! She died because you couldn't save her! What use is it for us for others to be saved if it's not helping her?! I won't do this, I won't have this at all." He stormed out of the room. Clara and Gran watched him go. Gran sighed and put her hands on her head before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry doctor, he didn't mean that. Things are still rather raw." He nodded.

"I understand that, I am sorry for the upset caused. Please, you are free to go, but take my card. Give me a call when you've come to a decision. There's no rush." She nodded and took the card.

"Thank you. Come on Clara." They both stood up and left.

They couldn't find Dave after that. He'd left the floor of the hospital they were on and his car had gone from the car park.

"Where is he?!" Clara said, she was beginning to panic now. She needed to know he was okay.

"Calm down sweetie. He's probably gone back to ours. Let's get the bus and we can find him." She nodded and they walked to the stop nearby.

He wasn't at home when they got there. The car was though.

"He's been here then." Clara nodded as Gran unlocked the front door.

"He's probably gone for a walk, you know he likes to do that to let off steam." She nodded again and sat down on the sofa.

"What do you think of all this? I don't really know how to feel." She sighed and smiled a little.

"Me neither. But maybe it could be a good thing. I mean she could help to save lives, that's a good thing right?" Clara shrugged.

"Yeah, of course. But I don't like the thought of them using part of her, she's gone and using her cells won't bring her back."

"I know sweetie, but nothing can. This, this could be something really great. Something to do in her legacy." She nodded a little.

"I'm gonna go and have a look for dad, I know where he'll be." Gran smiled.

"Stay safe, you."

She found herself running once she was out of the house. It had been so long since she'd run properly. She'd forgotten how much it helped to rationalise her thoughts. She got to the edge of the woods not too long later. The spot they always sat in during summer was occupied, she smiled at her dad sitting there. Walking over and sitting down next to him, she spoke hesitantly.

"Hi." Dave looked up.

"How did you find me?" She rolled her eyes.

"You're Mr Predictable. And anyway, I needed some fresh air." He nodded.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kick off like that. It's still-" She stopped him.

"Still raw, I know. I get that. What are you thinking?" He looked at her.

"I'm thinking that your mum would want us to take the doctors offer. She'd love to know that she'd maybe helped someone else." Clara sensed a 'but' coming. "But I hate the idea." She nodded.

"I feel the same. Let's sleep on it, eh?" He smiled and they walked back home.

She called Danny that night. As always, he was the voice of reason, agreeing with what her Gran had said.

"I want to come home." He smiled.

"You'll be back tomorrow. And I'll be waiting."

"Waiting for what exactly?"

"You. I'm taking you somewhere." She frowned.

"Where?!" He laughed.

"Not telling. But it's gonna be good." She groaned.

"Danny come on!" He laughed again.

"Nope, now get some sleep. Then make sure your Gran and dad are agreed before you come home." She smiled.

"I'll try, it's not often that happens though."

"Use your wonderful powers of persuasion. It'll be okay." They said their goodbyes and then she settled down in bed.

The discussion the next morning went surprisingly well. There were no arguments and they all mutually decided to take up the doctors request. It was for the best, they all knew that. It was the least they could do. The bad thing about things going well was that it shorted the time spent with Gran. They got ready to set off again.

"Please please please come and visit. See the house and the village." Gran smiled.

"Of course. I've already got a trip planned for someone's birthday next month." She winked. She'd momentarily forgotten it was her birthday so soon.

"Brilliant. See you soon, love you." They hugged goodbye and soon were back on the road again.

She called Danny as soon as she was home. Dave couldn't help but smile, to which she blushed a little.

"What?" She asked once she'd got off the phone.

"Young and in love." She shook her head.

"I'm not in love gosh. I just-"

"Go. Spend some time with him. I'll sort things out here."

"Sure?" He nodded.

"Stay safe, I'll see you later." She smiled, kissed him on the cheek and ran out of the front door.

She'd arranged to meet Danny half way between their houses but she'd got further than that and still not seen him. There was only one route as well. She frowned a little, this was unlike him. She kept walking nevertheless. She turned into his street and walked towards his door. She'd never been inside his house but she knew which one it was. Before she could walk towards the drive way the front door flew open and Danny was thrown out of it. He landed on his side, hard. His dad tried to pick him up off of the floor but Danny fought back.

"Get off me!" His dad growled.

"How dare you speak to me like that! Get out of my sight! NOW!" His dad turned back around and slammed the door shut again. Danny laid there for a second and then got up slowly. He limped a little towards Clara before she ran towards him.

"Danny?! What the hell happened?!" He shook his head and tried to hide the tears that were forming. "Danny?" He shook his head again.

"Not here. Take me away from here." She nodded and helped him to walk away from the house.

They stopped when they got to the park nearby and sat on the bench. He looked down at his leg that was now bleeding after him grazing it as he fell.

"You didn't need to see that. I'm sorry." She shook her head.

"Don't be sorry. What happened though?" He took a deep breath.

"It was my fault. I didn't help clear up lunch... I know it sounds stupid but I was just going to get a bit of work done before I came out with you and he kicked off big time."

"Danny, you not helping to tidy up does not warrant that sort of response. He has no right to treat you like that!" He sighed.

"I know, I know. But he just gets angry. He'll be fine in a couple of hours." She shook her head.

"That's not right! Everyone gets angry but not to the point where they physically hurt their son! You could have been badly injured."

"Clara it's fine. I'm used to it."

"He's abusive isn't he?" Danny shook his head again.

"No, like I said, he just gets angry. Stress at home and work, he isn't good at managing it." She didn't believe him.

"You have to tell someone about this."

"No! No way! Promise you won't breathe a word of this to anyone!" She sighed and shook her head.

"Why not?"

"It'll create more problems, make it all worse. Please Clara." They held each other's hands.

"At least stay at mine tonight? My dad won't mind. Stay away from home for a little bit." He thought for a second and then nodded.

"Okay. Thank you. And I'm sorry again, for all of this."

"Stop saying sorry." She hugged him and let him rest his head on her shoulder. Without letting go he spoke again.

"There is a reason I wanted to see you today. It somehow doesn't seem as fitting now."

"Let's forget about your dad. It's just you and me. What did you want to do?" He smiled and made her turn around.

"The first time we spoke properly, on the way home from school, remember?" She nodded. "That cave that I always go to. I want to take you there." She smiled.

"Let's go then." He nodded in agreement and took her hand again.

"Okay."

The walk was a long one, a nice one though. Through the fields and the trees. It always amazed her how she'd lived in London for so long. Now she'd moved here and seen the tranquility she couldn't imagine herself anywhere else. Danny broke her daydream when he pulled her towards the river next to them.

"I'm taking you the adventurous way." She smiled and followed him. Down the river bank were stepping stones across the shallowest bit of the river. Danny watched as Clara examined the best route to take. He laughed a little.

"Word of advice, don't overthink. Just do. Want me to go first?" She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah so I can watch you fall in." He fake laughed and shook his head.

"No chance!" He ran on ahead and skipped across the river without even a wobble. She sighed. She wasn't going to be nearly as graceful. He stood at the other side ready to take her hand as she walked across. "I was really hoping you'd fall in." She hit him gently and laughed.

"As you said, no chance." They both smiled. He took her hand and let her away again.

They ended up walking up a very steep hill. Clara stopped for a second to catch her breath.

"Jesus, I am definitely not fit enough for this." He laughed.

"But the view at the top is always worth it." She smiled at him.

"I'll take your word for it."

"You won't be disappointed." They did eventually get to the top and Danny was right, she wasn't disappointed.

"Danny, this is amazing." He smiled and kissed her head.

"Told you. And if you look right over there, there's the cave. It looks really far away but I promise you really not." She smiled.

"I don't mind. Anything's better than being sat at home."

"What's wrong with home?" She shrugged.

"Nothing I guess. Just dad, he's upset about the whole mum situation, and rightly so. But it reminds me of what he was like after we lost her and I hate that." He nodded.

"We're both having a great time at the moment aren't we." They laughed.

"Seems like it."

"Good job we've got each other to keep us sane." She smiled and continued to hold his hand as they walked through the fields.

They finally reached the cave and Danny stopped her before they went inside.

"Wait here for a second!" She giggled and nodded. As he ran off she peaked a little round the corner. He spotted her and laughed.

"Stop looking!" A minute later he ran back and grabbed her hand. "You can come in now." They walked round the corner and she gasped. In front of her was a row of candles leading the way to a picnic blanket ready for them.

"Danny this is so sweet, thank you." He smiled.

"No need to thank me. Now are you hungry? Because I am." She nodded and they sat down. He opened the picnic basket and grabbed her a drink and a plate.

"How long has this been planned for then?" He smiled.

"Not long." She gave him an unconvincing look. "Okay okay, I've wanted to do it for a while. So I brought all the stuff down this morning and then ran back to meet you." She smiled.

"I love it."

"I'm very glad."

"How come no one knows about this place though? It's amazing." He smiled.

"I know, but I'm not sure to be honest. I thought people would but no ones ever been here but me. I spent so many hours here last summer."

"Last minute revising?" He laughed.

"I'll have you know, I was actually very organised. Revised with plenty of time to spare." She smiled.

"Good. I'm glad you're sensible." She winked at him.

They looked out at the view, the sun setting over the rolling hills. Birds flew by and trees swayed in the wind. It was perfect, really perfect.

"This is just what I needed, honestly. To get away from it all for a while."

"I could tell." She frowned.

"How?"

"When you left on Saturday, you had that face on. A 'had enough' face. When I feel like that I always come out here. I guessed it would work for you too. And I can also tell that it's worked. You look so much more relaxed."

"I feel it."

They strolled the whole way back, chatting and laughing. Danny stopped her when they got to the end of her street.

"Are you sure about this? Me staying at yours?" She nodded.

"Of course."

"But what will your dad say?" She paused and then shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but it's alright. I'll sort it."

"Okay, as long as it doesn't cause any problems. I can go home." She shook her head.

"No way. I'm not letting you do that." He sighed and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Thank you. I owe you."

"No you don't." They kissed each other softly and giggled.

"Come on, it's cold and dark. Let's get inside."

Clara unlocked the door and was surprised to see her dad walk towards her as soon as she came in.

"Hi dad." He smiled.

"Hi, I was worried about you-" He stopped when he saw Danny. "Who's this?" She ushered him inside so that they could shut the door in.

"You know the boy I told you about... This is Danny." Dave smiled hesitantly.

"Ah yes, hello. I'm Dave." They shook hands.

"Nice to meet you." Danny said. It went silent for a second. Clara knew Dave had questions but was holding back as he didn't want to be rude.

"Danny, the living room is just through there. Make yourself comfortable. I'll just be a minute." She smiled at him and watched him walk away.

Clara took her dad into the kitchen where they could talk more freely.

"What's going on then?" She sighed.

"Don't freak out about this, but can he stay the night?" Dave's eyes widened a bit.

"Clara-" She shook her head immediately.

"No no not like that, honestly. Things have happened at home and he has nowhere to go tonight."

"What do you mean? Is he okay?" Clara nodded.

"Yeah, he's having problems with his dad at the moment and it got messy earlier. He just needs to stay for tonight that's all." Dave nodded and thought for a second.

"Okay, fine. But... be sensible please." Clara shook her head and blushed a little.

"Dad, nothing will happen-" He nodded.

"I trust you. Now off you go." She hugged him and headed through to Danny.

She showed him up to her room and allowed him to make himself comfortable.

"The decorating is a work in progress." She laughed a little as she moved a paint can out of the way so that she could shut the door. He smiled.

"I like it. It's nice." She sat next to him on the bed. "I'm guessing your dad is okay with this then?" She nodded.

"Yeah, he just wanted me to promise we'd be sensible." She winked and laughed a little.

"I think that was a reasonable promise to make." They both smiled.

"Thank you for such a nice day Danny, apart from what happened earlier." He nodded.

"You're welcome, and yeah... Let's try to forget about that one. I'll sort it tomorrow." She nodded back and they laid down. He kissed her gently and they laid in each other's arms. Not long after, they'd both dropped off to sleep.

 **Sorry for the really delayed uploads, A levels are taking over my life. I'm trying, I promise!**


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